T - Better than the smell, but still really bizarre and poorly melded together. Bitter roasts and dark chocolate up front, with harsh chiles and sourness in the finish.

M - Very nice. Rich and thick - just as a heavy, high ABV stout should be. Not much carbonation, nearly perfect to my liking.

D - Not a whole lot here. The overpowering aroma and taste of the jalepenos/chiles leaves a lot to be desired in this beer. And it's a shame too - without the addition of such random, poorly chosen ingredients, such as the chiles, this would make a truly excellent stout. If this were available on tap at the Map Room or any other Chicago beer bar, I would certainly not order it, nor would I ever seek out another bottle. (1,072 characters)

This was worth the wait. I had a very worthwhile review my wife made me take down. This is my scrubbed review. I like it. I like my wife. I like my dog. I think Jinx is a great show. Good beer. I hate snow. Go Britta Truskey (235 characters)

this mythical beast finally found its way into my life. one of those whales you only read about, at least in my world, so to actually get to drink one was highly anticipated and a real special treat for me. im immediately surprised by how heady this is. lots of tiny bubbles accumulating on the surface of the dense but bright brown liquid. coffee stained head color, nice retention. the nose is incredibly layered, with the bitter roast of the grains coming first and foremost, followed next by a wave of smoky earthy moderately spicy chili pepper and cinnamon. i dont smell much chocolate in this, but it can certainly be tasted. the vanilla is subtle, but present throughout the aroma. booze, while high in content, is absent aromatically. the flavor is real well integrated with all of these additives. chili and cinnamon are both mild, but unmistakable. i like that they dont just flash in at the finish, but are constants throughout. the cocoa is both bitter and earthy, not sweet at all, and adds a richness to the beer. the grain itself seems bigger and darker than most other huge stouts, the base beer is undeniably awesome. vanilla gives moderate sweetness and a mature richness to the whole thing, while high carbonation keeps the prickle of the peppers coming back around and around. long flavorful finish, no heat at all on the swallow. im left feeling like i had something enormous and unexplained. seismic beer here, unlike any other. i though this was the pinnacle of the style, then i had the double barrel edition...

edit: had the wonderful experience of tasting a 2012, 2013, and 2014 side by side. it was amazing to me how quickly the cinnamon fades away over time, its almost absent from the 2013, and gone totally in the 2012. as a result, i thought the freshest year was the most dynamic. maybe one of those beers not meant to be cellared... (1,866 characters)

Just attended the festival this past weekend and it was worth the hype. I had the opportunity to try a 2011 at the event and most everyone I spoke with said that this years batch is just phenomenal. The beer is darker than anything I have ever had before and the subtle notes of chili are apparent along with the dark coffee taste. I am extremely thankful that I brought enough home with me to enjoy one every couple of months. (427 characters)

Poured thick, black, oily, very little head. Great aroma, subtle chile spice. First sips while still cold were all chocolate. As it warmed up a lot more complexity came through, no heat but some chile flavor, not much cinnamon, just good balance.

Easy to see why this was so highly rated. More please... (328 characters)

The aroma is layered and complex without any one component overriding another. Rich roasty chocolate, ash, soft vanilla, charcoal, and spice all blend together nicely. It's actually a little hard to describe.

The taste is smoky with dark cherry, plum, chocolate and coffee, with a little sweetness mid-palate and the spice from the chiles comes in late and hits the sides of the mouth.

Slight viscosity and low carbonation work well in this stouts case. I think it would be weird if it were creamier or heavily carbonated.

Very nice, possibly a tad overrated, but worth a try for any beer nerd. (666 characters)